


Lock and Key

by the_fox333



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alphys/Undyne-centric, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-04-05
Packaged: 2018-10-15 04:53:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10550398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_fox333/pseuds/the_fox333
Summary: Happy birthday, Tara! Here is, as promised, Alphys happiness and fulfillment. :D





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Omoni](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omoni/gifts).



It took Alphys a long time to unlock her magical potential. There were tests, much like IQ tests, that hinted at your potential arcane prowess, but despite consistently high scores, Alphys could never manage much more than zapping someone with a small electric shock. This wasn't a particularly useful ability, either; rather, it brought derisive jeers from onlookers and a cruel, "Ooh, was that supposed to hurt?" from her tormentors. Since then, she pretended she had forgotten how to do even that, scoring intentionally low on the magical aptitude tests. It became a point of shame for her, counted among her mental list of failures and shortcomings.

So of course when Alphys got word of Undyne, her ability to melt into shadows and summon scores of floating spears with ease placed her far above Alphys. Yet another reason the Captain could never in a million years be hers. She almost enrolled in a magical training class, then decided it wasn't worth it. _If I'm not good enough for Undyne now, magic won't change that._ So she lived on, peacefully unable to do so much as charge a battery with magic.

 

Then the human came. Her world turned upside down a number of times that day for a number of reasons, but something happened when Flowey was trying to kill Frisk. Her friends threw up barriers left and right, but suddenly an opening appeared in their defenses. Without even thinking, she felt a familiar surge of power, and a field of electricity blocked another of the horrible flower's attacks. _Just a fluke,_ she assumed, thinking nothing more of it. She couldn't deny she had potential, but she would never be able to control it.

Like the other monsters, Alphys was busy over the next week or so packing up her belongings for the eventual move to the surface, but that Sunday, King Asgore declared a holiday, and almost the entire Underground spent a day on the surface. Many monsters didn’t stray far from the mountain, transforming it into a giant picnic ground, but Alphys and Undyne joined a group that was headed to the beach. That day was one of the best of her life, not least because it meant spending a day with Undyne. And that very evening, one of her greatest fantasies was realized: As the sun touched down on the ocean, Undyne leaned over and kissed her.

It was a long kiss, and it left Alphys reeling from combined shock and elation. Undyne, too, looked surprised, but in a different way. “Um, Alphy?” she raised an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t happen to have electricity magic, would you?”

Alphys now shared in her confusion. How could she have possibly deduced? “Um, uh, kinda?” she stammered. “I can’t really do much, and I haven’t used it in a long time, so maybe not anymore?” Did magic atrophy like that? Oh man, she was just sounding stupid now.

A smirk found its way onto Undyne’s face. “Aha,” she grinned. “I knew first kisses were supposed to feel electrifying, but even I know that isn’t literal.” Alphys turned red, and Undyne stifled a laugh.

“I-I-I’m sorry, I didn’t-“ Alphys started, but Undyne cut her off with a hand on her shoulder.

“Relax, Alphy, it’s fine,” she assured her. “I don’t mind it at all. It was pretty cool, actually.” This brought another blush, and Undyne continued, “We gotta teach you how to control that. I see some possibility for…” Undyne’s smile turned devious for a moment. “Fun.” Alphys started to adopt a puzzled look, then squeaked and buried her face in her hands as Undyne cackled.

 

Sure enough, training payed off. Undyne was no professor, but she did her best to explain the ins and outs of magic to Alphys, sometimes consulting Asgore for help. Alphys was stunned as she seemed to increase in power every day, with no limits in sight. Undyne too was impressed, wishing aloud she had some sort of direct elemental control instead of just shadow-travel (which Alphys adamantly insisted was way cooler than anything she could do). “If I could manipulate water, or maybe metal, I could kick some serious ass,” she joked.

But no matter how much she praised Alphys’ progress, Undyne had never lost a sparring match. They had added physical training to Alphys’ routine, and while she was in better shape than she had ever been, she could never take down her fiancé. Undyne was too quick, grounding arcs of electricity with her spears and never getting close enough for a direct shock.

It was after one of these matches that Alphys finally asked, “Why can’t I summon a weapon?” When Undyne had no immediate answer, she continued, “If I’m really as powerful a magic user as you say, why can’t I do that? You have your spears, Asgore has his trident, Toriel has her shield, even Grillby has a sword. What about me?”

“Alphy, can I tell you a story?” Undyne asked. Not waiting for an answer, she began. “For years, I wished I had my own weapon. Whenever I fought with Asgore, I would ask, ‘When do I get a weapon?’ His answer was always, ‘When you find the key to your lock.’ I thought that was cryptic bullshit, of course, but then I figured it out.”

“It’s a metaphor, right?” Alphys interrupted. “You need to find what fulfills you?”

“What makes you feel whole,” Undyne nodded. “For me, that was fighting. I may not have been able to beat Asgore, but one day, I realized I had stood my ground for a whole ten minutes. I felt untouchable, and just like that, there it was: a spear!” Undyne chuckled at the recollection. “The point is, you just have to keep going until you find what really motivates you. That’s when you’ll get your weapon.”

Alphys thought about this advice for days. _What do I need to feel whole?_ she thought, and every time her brain supplied the same answer: _Undyne_. But that couldn’t be right; she already had Undyne. She just had to keep looking.

 

For a while, Alphys forgot about her weapon. She was learning how to fight unarmed, and getting pretty good at it, too. She and Undyne took a test at a local martial arts academy and were told they were “black belts,” which was apparently the highest rank. And even if she didn’t have whatever it was that was supposed to make her whole, she didn’t feel like anything was missing. That is, until their first anniversary, when Undyne proposed.

The wedding itself was like a dream. The forces of nature themselves seemed to want it to go according to plan, rewarding them with clear skies and cherry blossoms. As Alphys approached the altar, arm in arm with her soon-to-be wife, she couldn’t recall a time when she was happier.

Asgore couldn’t read fast enough, and when he finally intoned, “You may kiss the bride,” Alphys and Undyne embraced as if their life depended on it. Much like their first, this kiss felt literally electric. But there was something more, hinted at by a gasp from several of their friends. Pulling apart with concern, the two looked around for what might be the matter, their eyes finally landing upon the glowing golden staff in Alphys’ hand. Toriel grinned and elbowed Asgore as the two embraced again, positively beaming as the onlookers cheered. Alphys had finally found her key.


End file.
